Analysis Of The Poem The Barbie Doll

The two words “Barbie Doll” is an essential part of a little girl’s vocabulary and most every little girl owns a Barbie doll. The doll represents an image of a perfect woman; however, in reality, women should not expect to be perfect. This is a narrative poem which summarizes the life of a young girl. The poem begins with “This girl child was born usual.” This line indicates that the child is born like any normal child.

The poem Barbie doll by Marge Piercy is about a little girl who grows up only to kill herself for not living up to society’s standards. The speaker shows how she had a normal childhood and was happy playing with here baby dolls and toy stove. However, during puberty, her body changed and everyone noticed. She was criticized for her “fat nose and thick legs”. She tried to change by dieting and exercising, but soon tired of doing so. She then cut off her nose and arms in order to please the rest of society. Only at her funeral did people finally say she was pretty. As shown in this poem, the criticism placed on women in our society is a continuously growing problem today. By using imagery, symbolism, and diction, Piercy demonstrates the high standards placed on girls at a very young age.

The story tells the reader about how two girls, each owns a Barbie doll with their one outfit piece and they made a dress out of worn socks for the dolls. One Sunday, they both went to the flea market on Maxwell Street, where the dolls of the other characters in Barbie were sold with lower price as a big toy warehouse was destroyed by fire. They did not mind to buy the dolls at the flea market even though the dolls were flawed, soaked with water and smelled like ashes. Barbie is widely pictured as a successful girl, who is perfect in every way; with her beautiful face, a slim body, nice house, secured job and a handsome boyfriend which is the fancy of every girl. The story tells the reader of the expectancy for women to have this immaculate figure, ignoring the fact that each person has different body fat percentage and body mass index which may affect their sizes and weights.

Looking in a mirror only reflect a person outside and do not capture the beauty that lies within. Some people will look at the mirror and see all the things that needs to be change about themselves. Having this idea to be perfect is a never ending fairy tale. In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, a young girl feels by changing her looks she can be accepted by others. Piercy demonstrate the importance of body image can have on the young and travel through adult hood.

The poem Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is a short poem that talks about a little girl who is born just like any other little girl. She plays with dolls and little ovens and messes around with makeup. She is fine and unbothered with her life till she hits puberty. Around that age she has a classmate tell her “you have a big nose and fat legs.” She was a girl who was healthy, strong, and intelligent but, she was apologizing to everyone for what they saw.

Sandra Cisneros is a writer who spoke through her poetry and short stories. Cisneros faced adversity because she was female writer who was not afraid to write how she felt. As Rivera explains, “The predominant image of docile, submissive, nurturing, and effacing women who relegate their own needs and personal desires to tend to needs of others, particularly the men and children in their families, gives way to literary representations of assertive, self-supporting, tenacious, and strong- willed women who assume control of their lives and circumstances.” Cisneros reminded people throughout her writing the women face challenges, but can overcome obstacles because they are strong and determined. In the stories “Barbie-Q” and “His story” Cisneros shows the true aspect of female characters and how they overcome adversity and challenges. These stories support Rivera’s statement about Cisneros writing.

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The poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy has a profound meaning to it. After reading it a couple of times, I found the theme by analyzing multiple things. I figured out the theme because of the author's use of figurative language and the outcome of her plot. The theme that I discovered was; people change people for the better or for, the worse, but it is upon them how they take it in.

In the short story ''Barbie Q,'' Sandra Cisneros portrays that Barbie dolls can impact girl's lives as they grow up, and influence the way they act and perceive themselves. These girls grow up in a poor family environment considering that they acquired the rest of the dolls in a toys sale after a store burned down. In ‘‘Barbie Q,’’what is the thematic significance of the damaged dolls after the fire? The girl’s enthusiasm to get the new dolls -when they said that they prefer to receive new doll’s clothes- suggests that the meaning of these Barbie dolls is more than just a new toy. I believe that the damaged dolls exemplifies the way women feel imperfect due to all the criticism they encounter. Understanding the real meaning of the stereotypes surrounding an "acceptable" way of dressing, the smoke and water on the burned dolls, and Barbie’s ‘‘MOD’ern cousin,’’ (Cisneros) contributes to a better analytical interpretation. Beyond poverty, these dolls represent the effects of the stereotypes that society has implemented to women.

She has just turned fifteen, but in her culture she is now a woman. She must put away her childish things and except that she will contribute to the family as an adult. In her mind she is still a child who plays with dolls and has little and now she must accept the changes

Compare Contrast Essay: Warren Pryor & Barbie Doll The poem, “Warren Pryor” by Alden Nowlan, introduces a boy, free’d from the hard-labour on a farm, with the sacrifices made by his parents, however, it evokes his sense of feeling trapped. In the poem, “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, a girl modifies her appearance, because of this she dies. Seen as ‘successful’, isn’t the same as being successful. Both of these poems evoke change made for someone else's advantage, suggest an important message to their audience, and the characters were viewed as successful by others, not themselves.

More specifically she represents the embodiment of the mainstream beauty standard (Klein). She became a very significant role in gender socialization among young girls and woman. In the first Barbie commercial ever, if you carefully scrutinize the lyrics, it says “…someday I’m going to be exactly like you, until then I know just what I’ll do, Barbie beautiful Barbie I’ll make believe I am you” these lyrics informs us that Barbie represents a dream to every little girl, how their future should look like. Barbie was able to remain popular in the conservative times of the 50’s by captivating the attention of little girls, they all aspired to look just like her. Barbie was able to uphold some of the messages that dominated that era by represents the gender roles that belong to woman, in the first Barbie commercial, you can see Barbie wearing a wedding dress, symbolizing that every girl/woman desires to become a

In Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll,” the girl-child was perceived on the effect that society has expected in women. There stood a hazardous trend that raged in her society causing self-destruction. This comes to comparing the normal to unreal to satisfy on what society begs the girl child to be. This may occur within both genders. However, in the poem “Barbie Doll” it was more likely to occur within a girl gender.

The narrator is joined with her friend who also has a Barbie doll that is slightly different. During the short story the narrator explains how she and her friend make the best of what they have and what they don’t for example when she explains how they invented a dress from a sock by just cutting holes in it. (339) The narrator farther on in the story visits Maxwell Street where they end up getting a good deal on more Barbie dolls due to the fact that they came from a burned down factory and smelled of smoke. (340) What really caught my attention was not that fact that they could get such a great deal on multiple dolls, but rather the attitude of the narrator after receiving the dolls.

While Marge Piercy (“Barbie Doll”) and James Dickey (“The Leap”) have created poems that are about women who were trounced by society’s pressure, each poem depicts different elements to reflect the narrator’s voice and convey their message. Piercy highlights her character’s struggle with the preconceived vehemence on women’s role in our society from a young age. “This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (Piercy) On the other hand, Dickey uses nostalgia to describe the character in his poem “fastest runner in seventh grade” (Dickey) and how he remembers the main character.